Our run blocking is 7th in the league. That's not an issue. Pollard is fine when there's a big bruising back that is on everyone's mind first and he's the second option. We don't have that guy.
Being the lead back for a week or two isn't quite the same as shouldering the load all season.
Pollard was never the "lead back" in 2022, only 3 games did he have more carries than Zeke. Being the "lead back" isn't who gets the most carries in a game, it's who gets the most carries over the course of a season. And that was Zeke.
Cowboys are 18th in the league at ypa on rushing, at 4.0 just barely to the level teams look for. Last year Pollard had a ypa of 5.2, this year 3.9, with Smith only playing 4 games. Tyron is never healthy these days, he plays hurt because he has to, there's nobody to replace him adequatetly except Tyler, and if Tyler is at LT who plays LG? No one near Tyron's level, that's for sure.
Zeke missed games last year with a knee sprain making Pollard the lead back.
You'll never get people who are dug in on Pollard's greatness to acknowledge this. He's gone from being the best change of pace back in the league to the 20th+ best lead back. It's just different when you're the guy the other teams studies film on all week. I told people for three years when they were clamoring for Pollard to start that he wasn't going to be the same back if they tried to use him in any way similar to the way they used Zeke. Now we're seeing that play out. To the surprise of almost no one. I think Pollard will be fine when a) they quit trying to make into Zeke-light and b) obviously the line starts blocking better. However there is a big difference between "fine" and "a sure fire all pro" or "just like Christian McCafferey and Alvin Kamara" which is what we were told he would be if given the chance.
All this ignores the elephant in the room that not all players know the playbook equally. I guarantee you Luepke doesn't know the playbook and his assignments as well as Dowdle and Dowdle doesn't know his as well as Pollard. People pay far to little attention to the extent to which trust determines who plays and who don't. If you're missing assignments in practice you aint gittin to play a lot. Dowdle whiffed on a few pass pro reps early in the season which probably got HIS butt clued to the bench until he re-earned the coaches' trust. As has been stated a million times by coaches forever, any back can tote the rock.. but in order to earn the right to tote the rock you need to do other things.
Valid point. However, the RBs have been getting coached on this offense for 8 months, and have played RB most their life. RB position doesn't have to be cerebral to a degree, but even if your perspective is dead on these guys can do certain things to add to the run game in their wheel house....shame on the OC who can't find a way to use guys talents.
Oh I don't disagree that they need to figure out a way to get the most out of the guys they have. They did it last year by using Zeke as the hammer and Pollard as the knife. They need to figure out how to use Pollard, Dowdle and Luepke to get the best they have to offer. If there are plays where they don't know their assignment don't call those plays when they're in. But of course that then places undue stress on the play caller to be remembering who struggles at what and again, that's why they probably do it the way they do. Unless a guy is just a monster coaches don't have that kind of patience.
This is what I’ve been saying the entire time. It’s not the line, it’s the back. Spelling Zeke and being fresh was one thing last year. Another note is that last year when Pollard wasn’t running wide, he was behind Martin 80% of the time. He just didn’t run left inside the tackle often. I did an analysis of 4 games and posted it last year. Being RB1 is entirely different. Why did Dowdle come in and look like a stud last week (ypa) v. Pollard’s ypa? Because he was fresh and ran hard, not because he’s ‘better’ than Pollard.
It's both, at least. Let's see how many Pro Bowlers we get out of Pollard and the line....
Nope. Zeke played 15 games, only missed 2. He had 231 carries, Pollard 193.
And it was so silly, as it was obvious those people had never watched McC or Kam.
Never fails, can't win the discussion, so turn to insulting the messenger. That's hilarious....
